NASCAR Betting Preview - The Price Chopper 400

Race-day: 10/4/2009

Race-time: 1:00 pm EST

Hendrick Motor Sports has dominated The Chase so far in 2009 as Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson have won the first two contests of the 10 race playoff championship event.

Martin dominated two weeks ago in Loudon while Johnson finished 4 th. Johnson came right back two weeks ago in the AAA 400 finishing 1 st while Martin finished 2 nd. As it stands right now, Martin is in the lead by 10 points with Johnson in second.

Is this year’s Chase all but over? Some might argue that point as both Jimmie and Mark are 75 and 65 points ahead of the 3 rd place driver in The Chase, Juan Pablo Montoya. With Jimmie and Mark looking to beat the field at Dover this Sunday, Jimmie is a +450 favorite and Mark is a +600 second choice in the BetUS online sportsbook, there’s no doubt what the BetUS odds makers and NASCAR betting fans believe, that it will be either Jimmie Johnson or Mark Martin holding up the Sprint Cup trophy after the ten race cycle.

Johnson in particular looks very tough. Jimmie won at Dover in 2008 and then again on May 31 st earlier this year. Johnson could prove impossible to beat in The Chase should he win this Sunday.

Two Long Shots Look to Get Closer to Team Hendrick

Juan Pablo Montoya is making the most out of his first Chase as he currently is in 3 rd place in the Sprint Cup Standings. Montoya has a tough hill to climb in order to get to both Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson, but he could do it. He’ll have to start winning races as those two guys are dominating right now.

In 4 th place in the Sprint Cup Standings is Kurt Busch. Busch, highlighted as one of the best long shots on which to wager to win the Sprint Cup Championship before The Chase started, has done well enough to get himself into championship contention. It’s going to be difficult, some would say impossible, for either driver to break the Hendrick strangle hold. At odds of +1200 for Montoya and +1500 for Busch in the sportsbook to win at Dover, the belief as that, if anything, both guys will fail to make a move towards Johnson and Martin.

What happened to Smoke and Gordo?

Both Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon have been downright pathetic so far in the 2009 Sprint Cup Chase. Yes, Stewart is in 5 th place in the Sprint Cup Standings, but he is behind Mark Martin by 106 points. Smoke has cooled off a lot since his torrid pace in the spring and summer of 2009. It doesn’t appear that Smoke will win the Cup his first year as an owner/driver.

Jeff Gordon has been worse than Stewart this year. Gordon had a much better 2009 than 2008 but he still hasn’t made a move in the Sprint Cup Chase and time appears to be running out. Gordon is currently in 8 th place, 122 points off of teammate Martin, and there just doesn’t appear to be any fire under the #24 car’s hood.

As Often as Things Change, They Also Stay the Same

My pick to win the Price Chopper 400 at Dover is Jimmie Johnson. I’m surprised that the odds on Jimmie are so nice, +450, and because he and his crew spend an entire season getting this point, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s gong to pull away for the victory.